Extreme breast feeding erm wut?

[GregTheRotter]

Link;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18032390



For a second there I thought, you lucky little f**ker, then remembered that was the kids mother and was a bit confused
Discuss.

[longweight]

Are we discussing the fact that you want to suck her teat?

[GregTheRotter]

Ok ignore that bit (post edited accordingly ), lets talk about how we feel about women who are retarded enough to breat feed four year old kids

[noizdaemon666]

Breastfeeding up to 18 months is beneficial for the child's health. Obviously not exclusive breatsfeeding, just every now and then. However, past that age it becomes "weird" in the eyes of an outsider. Whilst still beneficial, it isn't socially normal and probably has some sort of mental affect on the child like an extreme dependancy on his mother or something.

Edit: Breastfeeding a four year old isn't retarded Greg. It's just a different way to how most people go about it.

[Nexxo]

Breast feeding practices vary widely across cultures. Example: http://www.incultureparent.com/2011/...-genghis-khan/

Frankly I think that Western society is a bit repressed about it. Tits on display on page three of a tabloid or lad's mag are OK; a glimpse of a breast doing the prefectly natural and wholesome job of feeding a baby is met with apoplectic shock. Just a bit messed up, if you ask me.

[noizdaemon666]

I completely agree with Nexxo. My fiancee has breastfed both of our kids and she has got some disapproving looks from time to time. With one guy demanding to be sat elsewhere in a restaurant as he didn't want to be sat near someone breastfeeding.

However, I think there is a point where breastfeeding should stop. As good as it is for the child, because of our society perceives breastfeeding, feeding a 4 year old will likely cause the child to be bullied.

[Porkins' Wingman]

I wouldn't go making decisions based on a perceived likelihood of bullying - that just hands the victory to the bullies without there even being a fight and perpetuates the repressed attitude in society.

Greg if that's how you really feel then I would say you are closer to retarded than that mother is. She has the strength of character to make her own decisions whereas it seems you allow the herd to make many of yours for you.

[GregTheRotter]

Glad you felt it appropriate to call me retarded, after I voice my opinion on someone who breast feeds a four year old kid Well done and fyvm

[longweight]

Originally Posted by GregTheRotter

Glad you felt it appropriate to call me retarded, after I voice my opinion on someone who breast feeds a four year old kid Well done and fyvm

He is just voicing his opinion on you thinking that it is retarded to breast feed a four year old so isn't doing anything worse than you are.

And I agree with him.

[Porkins' Wingman]

Yeh, cos that's what I said. Seems you're going out of your way though to demonstrate my comparison between you and her might be right, so you can furb.

[longweight]

Was that aimed at me?

[Porkins' Wingman]

No of course not:

seems like you're going out of your way to demonstrate my comparison between you and her may be right

i.e. my comparison between Greg and Mum. I've not started comparing you with her yet, other than your respective suitability as a mate of course

[longweight]

Ah ok I got a bit confused!

[Porkins' Wingman]

You just beat me to the tape

[longweight]

I should be writing machine code but this is far more interesting.

[noizdaemon666]

Originally Posted by Porkins' Wingman

I wouldn't go making decisions based on a perceived likelihood of bullying - that just hands the victory to the bullies without there even being a fight and perpetuates the repressed attitude in society.

True but how many new mothers do you know who actually attempt breastfeeding? Much less ones who stick at it. In my opinion there's just not enough of them to actually make society rethink its views.

[Porkins' Wingman]

Well in the experience of the mother of my 4-month old daughter the very vast majority of mothers who she has met so far definitely attempted it and most have stuck with it. I'll grant you that I can't say with any conviction that that sample gives a fair representation of society as a whole, but the mother of my child is quite self-conscious and doesn't like attention being drawn to her, and yet she is happy to dingle the dangle in places like the cafe at Sainsburys etc.

And it doesn't have to be about convincing others that breast-feeding a four year old is 'right', all that I would hope for is that those who choose to do it don't have to be vilified for doing it. Breast-feeding in public has to be one of the most innocuous things you can do that someone else might try and claim offence about. How people can not tolerate it I do not understand.

[supermonkey]

Since we're discussing the subject, let's widen the scope a bit. The Time article isn't just about breastfeeding, it covers the big 3 elements of attachment parenting: extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping; and baby wearing.

The idea of baby wearing in itself isn't so bad. Keeping a baby close can promote bonding between the baby and mother, and I argue that's not such a bad thing in the earliest stages of development. However, I disagree with extended breastfeeding and co-sleeping because I think it hinders the establishment of proper boundaries. Which leads to my next point:

In my opinion attachment parenting feeds directly in the relatively new concept of "helicopter parenting" (i.e. parents who hover over their children at all times, and who always swoop in to solve every problem). The children of the first wave of helicopter parents are now entering the workforce, and there have been reports of mothers submitting job applications and attending interviews with their (now grown) children. Rather than letting their children fall out of the tree and learn from their mistakes, they are setting up the unrealistic expectation that mom and dad will always be there to save the day.

Regarding Nexxo's point about breastfeeding practices across different cultures, I agree that Western cultures need to learn to deal with the fact that some mothers breastfeed. The problem I have is with the extended breastfeeding practice within the framework of attachment parenting.

[thehippoz]

yeah were repressed over here

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...5.05797.x/full

[Nexxo]

The very fact that you find it necessary to mention that link suggests that you are.